Planarian yorkie/YAP functions to integrate adult stem cell proliferation, organ homeostasis, and maintenance of axial patterning
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ABSTRACT: During adult homeostasis and regeneration, the freshwater planarian must accomplish a constant balance between cell proliferation and cell death, while also maintaining proper tissue and organ size and patterning. Yet how these ordered processes are precisely modulated, remains relatively unknown. Here we show that planarians use the downstream effector of the Hippo signalling cascade, yorkie (yki; YAP in vertebrates) to control a diverse set of pleiotropic processes in organ homeostasis, stem cell regulation, regeneration, and axial patterning. We show that yki functions to maintain the homeostasis of the planarian excretory (protonephridial) system and to limit stem cell proliferation, while not affecting the differentiation process or cell death. Finally, we show that yki synergizes with WNT/β-catenin signalling to repress head determination by limiting the expression domains of posterior WNT genes and the WNT-inhibitor notum. Together, our data show that yki is a key factor in planarians that integrates stem cell proliferation control, organ homeostasis, and the spatial patterning of tissues.
ORGANISM(S): Schmidtea mediterranea
PROVIDER: GSE73700 | GEO | 2015/10/03
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA297689
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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